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Yet Another Reason
As a chemical-free farmer, I am opposed to using synthetic fertilizer for a wide variety of reasons. Today, while skimming Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables, I added a new reason. John Peterson (aka Farmer John) shared this tidbit:
Anhydrous ammonia, the most common petroleum-based nitrogen fertilizer, was "used extensively during World War II for the task of turning soil into rock-hard landing strips." What!!?? This is what commercial farmers put into the ground to "improve" it? I'm still shaking my head...
5 comments:
Have a nice weekend!
Cherie, it doesn't surprise me that the chemicals used on the farm land are used for some bazaar other things. Here in Nebraska as a kid growing up I can remember big tank trucks filled with used motor oil would spray their load on the gravel roads in rural areas to keep the dust down. That practice has been stopped for many decades but waste in our culture is a real problem and becoming more and more difficult to handle. The large scale farms here in Nebraska have no life in the soil any more. The soil basically is nothing more than a medium to hold up the plants. It's really sad to see the most productive land in the country be treated that way.
Have a great Virginia homestead living soil day.
David, I remember seeing motor oil sprayed on dirt roads out in the west when I was growing up. When I was telling Bill about it once, I had to stop and think to make sure it really happened as it seems so crazy today. Have a great week!
I watched the doc "In Organic We Trust" and I knew that the whole organic market was questionable and don't even get me started on the USDA with it's approved chemicals, but holy cow! My buying habits have changed significantly this past year, to the point that I'm barely even going to my beloved Trader Joe's any more. These days chemical free means a whole lot more.
Shona, I haven't seen that documentary yet. But I do know how shady Big Ag Organic can be, getting approval to do things that a small organic/chemical-free farm would not do because the farmer doesn't consider it ethical. Big Ag isn't a farmer so doesn't have ethics, just a profit motive.
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